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Greenway sought for gold rush creek site By DAMIAN MANN JACKSONVILLE - Choked by thickets of blackberries and hemmed in by roadways, the creek that started a gold rush in 1851 has suffered from years of neglect. A water resources committee hopes to give Jackson Creek much-needed attention, however, and in the process create a public greenway along a stretch from Hanley Road to Jacksonville on Highway 238. "If we could enhance the stream, it wouldn't be a roadside ditch," said Corky Lockard, project manager for the water resources program of the Rogue Valley Council of Governments. But the project, which would require grants and other funding, has a long way to go, requiring the support of landowners, the Oregon Department of Transportation and other government agencies. "Nothing is set in concrete," said Lockard. "We need to talk to landowners." A meeting has been scheduled from 4 to 6 p.m. Aug. 21 at the Oregon State University Extension Auditorium to discuss prioritization of 15 proposed plans. Among the main goals are fish use and protection, stream and channel habitat improvement, water quality improvement and watershed protection. Lockard said that ultimately, the full 11-mile stretch of the creek from a reservoir west of Jacksonville to just east of Bear Creek near the Jackson County Expo needs attention to improve the watershed. A main part of the project is improvement of a culvert at Hanley Road that is now a barrier to steelhead swimming upstream. Along Highway 238, the creek is barely visible, covered with blackberry bushes. In 1997, the creek overflowed, swamping the roadway. Jacksonville city forester Paul Kangas said one possibility is to move the creek away from the roadway, terracing its sides to give it more room to maneuver during floods. "We would like to develop the creek so it's less prone to damaging the infrastructure around it," he said. But moving the creek is only a concept at this point, Kangas cautioned. "We need some separation between the road and creek," he said. "I don't know how that would be done. But we would have to talk with landowners." Areas above Jacksonville, especially around the reservoir, also need attention, he said. Strategic thinning of underbrush would help stop potential fires. "A lot of the forests are overly dense," he added. That the creek runs through urban areas presents other challenges. "Some people have patios and decks next to it," said Kangas. "One person even has a deck over the whole creek." Jacksonville Councilwoman Donna Schatz said the city is interested in restoring the creek, but the council has not committed itself to any of the projects. "These are ideas," she said. "Nothing has been presented to the City Council." Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.